Things to Do in San Gabriel

Cynthia Harvey has been designing fashion-forward ensembles since she was a kid. “At 9 years old I literally and figuratively looked up to my aunt, a professional model who made most of her clothes. She encouraged me to use the scraps of fabric to make my Barbie doll clothes and eventually my own clothes," says Harvey. Her interest in current trends led Cynthia to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in LA, where she studied and eventually ascended to the post of professor. Though she's spent her time doling out fashion tips to the likes of Janet Jackson and George Clooney, it was her time as an educator that inspired Cynthia to cofound The Sewing Studio. She aimed to counteract a decline in local arts programs, due largely to the great popsicle-stick and glitter fire of 1996. She explains, “I wanted to offer fashion sewing classes that are fun and affordable, with an emphasis on looks inspired by current fashion designers."

Her classes, which cater to the novice seamstress and advanced sewing student alike, achieve that aim. Led by Cynthia and other experienced teachers, including a design professional from England, the sessions range from introductory classes where pupils learn basics and stitch together totes or dresses to fashion design and sewing programs for kids. Camps, workshops, and other learning sessions culminate in handcrafted apparel and accessories that students can take home and incorporate into regular wardrobe rotations.

A real stock car roars around a banked oval track. As it navigates the chicanes and wrestles g-forces to the floor, a coach's voice crackles in the driver's ear. This isn’t the Indy 500; it's L.A. Racing. Featured on NBC Today in L.A., L.A. Racing's Adventure programs let would-be racers grip the wheel during fast-forward laps around a real track. This video shows the rubber meeting the road at Irwindale Speedway.

Inside, L.A. Racing's instructors educate new drivers with BlueTiger simulators, helping them get a feel for new tracks and learn to follow the proper line through turns. These practice cars feature realistic racing effects—engine vibrations, road-surface texture, bumping, and deer attacks, for example. Competition courses are available for drivers who want to take racing to the next level and master advanced techniques such as throttle control, trail braking, and passing.

If you walk into The Little Knittery and its floors and tables are neat and tidy, don't worry. They won't be for long. The knitting shop is usually abuzz with a flurry of activity and scraps of material as student stitchers learn to purl, crochet, mold felt, or even spin their own yarn in a slate of weekly classes. A kaleidoscopic selection of yarns from Wool and the Gang, Ecobutterfly, and Jade Sapphire line the walls, their neat piles often collapsing as customers grab a favorite style to start a knitted scarf, a crocheted coaster, or a likeness of their own hand, knitting as professional instructors offer tips and guidance. Project patterns developed by the shop's yarn-impassioned staffers, meanwhile, provide the basis for more advanced group or private lessons.

From the outside, the big, red bus looks like an open-topped relic from across the pond. Once on board, however, a rainbow oasis of streamers, flags, and tinsel reveals that this is no stodgy ride; rather, it’s the flagship vehicle of Out & About Tours—a tour company dedicated to celebrating the oft-overlooked sites associated with Los Angeles' LGBT legacy. Company CEO Jim Anzide pulls double duty as the tour’s guide, narrating historic info about the roots of the LGBT community in neighborhoods ranging from West Hollywood and downtown to Silverlake and the Sunset Strip. Lively banter punctuates each trip as Anzide and his guides quiz passengers on history and share personal anecdotes. They also lead walking tours that explore La La Land's hotels and bathhouses and curate their signature SunGay Brunch tour—a mini bus excursion that includes mimosas and bites at stops including Flying Leap Café and The Other Side, Los Angeles' last piano bar purportedly haunted by the ghost of Fats Waller’s Wurlitzer.

Greek music reverberates into the open air as the rich smell of roasting lamb entices crowds walking into the annual Pasadena Greek Fest in Santa Anita Park. Lined with stalls selling Greek wares and traditional Greek food, the fest celebrates Greek culture with three days of socializing, dancing, and lightening-bolt throwing. When not munching on honey-soaked bites of fried loukoumathes or shish kebabs, families can look at the goods for sale or scale the inflatable equipment in the kids’ fun zone.

Since they were kids, siblings Regina and Fabiano Carpinelli have lived and breathed comics. In 2011, the Carpinellis' passion came to a head as more than 35,000 fellow comic fans attended their inaugural Comikaze Expo. The success of the event attracted the attention of the legendary comic man himself: Stan Lee, creator of Spider-Man, who has since partnered with the duo to create Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo the Comic Con of L.A., a celebration of all things comic, gaming, sci-fi, and fantasy. The official comic book convention of Stan Lee punctuates its two-day celebration with celebrity guests, fan-focused panels, costume contests, and gaming competitions. Art shows feature the work of industry greats and unknown artists side by side, allowing attendees to discover snippets of new stories or hunt pagefuls of their favorite rare character combinations, such as when Batman teamed up with Kristi Yamaguchi in Figure-Skating Fury.

Local charities use a portion of the proceeds to enrich the lives of those in need, demonstrating one of the many ways stories can change the real world for the better without resorting to wearing Darth Vader costumes to the office.